M-Commerce Implementation in Nigeria: Trends and Issues

Nigeria was described as the fastest growing telecoms nation in Africa and the third in the World. The country had experienced a phenomenal growth from a teledensity of 0.49 in 2000 to 25.22 in 2007. This trend has brought about a monumental development in the major sectors of the economy, such as banking, telecoms and commerce in general. This paper presents the level of adoption of ICT in the banking sector and investigates the prospects of m-Commerce in Nigeria based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Findings revealed that all banks in Nigeria offer e-Banking services and about 52% of the offer some forms of m-Banking services. The banks and the telecoms operators have enormous potentials and opportunities for m-Commerce but the level of patronage, quality of cell phones, lack of basic infrastructure and security issues pose a major threat to its wide scale implementation

A Framework for e-Commerce Implementation: Nigeria a Case Study

The advent of the Internet has transformed the business environment in no small measure and has influenced the ways and manner businesses are transacted. This platform has brought about enhanced electronic and mobile business transactions. However, the advent of e-Commerce, m-Commerce or i-Commerce has placed a premium on the participating organisations or nations in terms of provision of the basic infrastructure for a secure, seamless and trusted business environment through the electronic media. This paper presents an exploratory study of the prospects of e-Commerce implementation and the factors inhibiting its growth. A set of questionnaire was designed, administered and analysed based on political, economic, social and technological (PEST) analysis. The PEST analysis is to help review the current practices with a view to developing a framework for Nigeria and other developing nations in Africa. Findings revealed that the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is the most widely used medium of e-Payment in Nigeria, which is not very suitable for e-Commerce implementation. Similarly, the Internet penetration is still abysmally low and is one of the major threats to e-Commerce implementation. However, the nascent democracy enjoyed in Nigeria is faced with some teething problems, but it promised with time, relative political stability, direct foreign investment, improved economical atmosphere, improved social services and technological development more than ever witnessed in the country. Therefore, a viable framework for Nigeria and Africa would be such that involves the private and public partnership (PPP). This consortium is expected to provide the platform for access to the Internet and popularize the use of e-Payment among other things

ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE AND COUNTER-TERRORISM: PROSPECTS FOR THE NIGERIAN STATE

Nigeria’s national security has been threatened over the past few years by the menace of terrorism. On a large scale, several efforts have been made by the Nigerian government to combat terrorism (mostly military based strategies), yet the threats persist. Crucial to the quest of combating terrorism in Nigeria is the role of technology. This is especially so because, terrorists also utilize modern technology, both online and offline in seeking funds, engaging operations, recruitment, training and communication. Thus, there is a need to not only evaluate offline activities, but also include the monitoring of online and digital communications in the counter-terrorism process. The general objective of this paper is to highlight important strategies rooted in electronic surveillance that the Nigerian state should adopt in counter-terrorism efforts that can ultimately guarantee national security and engender national development. Using a qualitative approach, this paper relies majorly on secondary data analyzed textually. It is situated within the securitization framework. This paper submits that technology exclusively cannot guarantee security, however, security would be an impossible accomplishment without the influence of technology. A collaboration of technological tools, especially through the use of electronic surveillance poses a potentially effective counter-terrorism strategy, as more and more terrorist operations depend on ICT tools

The Prospects of m-Commerce Implementation: Issues and Trends

The recent developments in mobile telecommunications and its spread, with over one-third of the world population having access to the device, have made it a viable platform for business transactions. The application areas that are being addressed include government (in-Government), commerce (m-Commerce), business (in-Business), payment (In-Payment), learning (m-Learning) and health (m-Health), to mention a few. This paper discusses the prospects of m-Commerce, the issues, application areas, payment system, security and the growth of mobile devices and networks. Similarly, the paper presents the prospect of m-Commerce particularly, In-Banking in Nigeria, which is the fastest growing telecommunications nation in Africa and the third in the world

The prospects of E-Examination Implementation in Nigeria

The massive examination leakages, demand for gratification by teachers, bribe-taking by supervisors and invigilators of examinations have become a global phenomenon. This menace has resulted to general fallen standards of education and Nigeria is no exception, particularly among developing nations. Consequent upon this, all Nigerian universities have resorted to conducting post-entrance “Post-JAMB” examination/screening because of lack of confidence in the conduct of the entrance examinations. This paper proposes a model for e-Examination in Nigeria where all applicants are subjected to online entrance examination as a way of curbing the irregularities as proposed by the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), the body saddled with the responsibility of conducting entrance examinations into all the Nigerian universities. This model was designed and tested in Covenant University, one of the private universities in Nigeria. There were 120 questions drawn from English (30), Mathematics (30), General Science (20), Commercial Courses (20), and Religion Knowledge (20), all for one hour duration. Questionnaires were administered to the applicants at the end of the examination to assess their level of ICT literacy, ease of use of the system and the difficulties encountered. Findings revealed that the system has the potentials to eliminate some of the problems that are associated with the traditional methods of examination such as impersonation and other forms of examination malpractices. The system is easy to use and candidates can get use to it with time. The timing of examination can be spaced without compromising the quality and integrity of the examination. However, much is still desired if the system were to be adopted on a national scale, particularly in terms of infrastructural and manpower development. Similarly, the quest for e-Examination can fast track the development of e-Learning facilities in the country with improved access to education

Perinatal care in Western Uganda: Prevalence and factors associated with appropriate care among women attending three district hospitals

Background: Perinatal mortality remains high globally and remains an important indicator of the quality of a health care system. To reduce this mortality, it is important to provide the recommended care during the perinatal period. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with appropriate perinatal care (antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum) in Bunyoro region, Uganda. Results from this study provide valuable information on the perinatal care services and highlight areas of improvement for better perinatal outcomes. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among postpartum mothers attending care at three district hospitals in Bunyoro. Following consent, a questionnaire was administered to capture the participants’ demographics and data on care received was extracted from their antenatal, labour, delivery, and postpartum records using a pre-tested structured tool. The care received by women was assessed against the standard protocol established by World Health Organization (WHO). Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to assess factors associated with appropriate postpartum care. Results: A total of 872 mothers receiving care at the participating hospitals between March and June 2020 were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the mothers was 25 years (SD = 5.95). None of the mothers received appropriate antenatal or intrapartum care, and only 3.8% of the participants received appropriate postpartum care. Factors significantly associated with appropriate postpartum care included mothers being \u3e35 years of age (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 11.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.8–51.4) and parity, with low parity (2–3) and multiparous (\u3e3) mothers less likely to receive appropriate care than prime gravidas (aPR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.9 and aPR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.8 respectively). Conclusions: Antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care received by mothers in this region remains below the standard recommended by WHO, and innovative strategies across the continuum of perinatal care need to be devised to prevent mortality among the mothers. The quality of care also needs to be balanced for all mothers irrespective of the age and parity

Prevalence of Hypertension in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria: Rural versus Urban Communities Study

Recent studies have shown an increasing trend in the prevalence of hypertension in rural communities compared to that of the urban communities. This study was therefore carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors (if any) in both urban and rural communities of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Subjects and Method. This was a cross-sectional study of urban and rural communities of Akwa Ibom State for the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors. Two urban cities and two rural communities were randomly selected from the three senatorial districts of the state. Hypertension was defined based on the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension. Results. Nine hundred and seventy-eight (978) participants were recruited from rural areas and five hundred and ninety (590) from urban centers. The rural populace had higher systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure than the urban populace (P<0.001, < 0.002, < 0.001, resp.). The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in the rural populace than in the urban populace [44.3% (95% CI 41.1–47.4%) versus 28.6% (95% CI 24.9–32.3%)]. Age, BMI, and proteinuria were independent predictors of hypertension occurrence. Conclusion. There is an epidemiologic change in the prevalence of hypertension in the rural communities of Nigeria

Prevalence of Hypertension in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria: Rural versus Urban Communities Study

Recent studies have shown an increasing trend in the prevalence of hypertension in rural communities compared to that of the urban communities. This study was therefore carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors (if any) in both urban and rural communities of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Subjects and Method. This was a cross-sectional study of urban and rural communities of Akwa Ibom State for the prevalence of hypertension and its predictors. Two urban cities and two rural communities were randomly selected from the three senatorial districts of the state. Hypertension was defined based on the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension. Results. Nine hundred and seventy-eight (978) participants were recruited from rural areas and five hundred and ninety (590) from urban centers. The rural populace had higher systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure than the urban populace ( &lt; 0.001, &lt; 0.002, &lt; 0.001, resp.). The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in the rural populace than in the urban populace [44.3% (95% CI 41.1-47.4%) versus 28.6% (95% CI 24.9-32.3%)]. Age, BMI, and proteinuria were independent predictors of hypertension occurrence. Conclusion. There is an epidemiologic change in the prevalence of hypertension in the rural communities of Nigeria

Public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines among adults in South-Western Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Background: Despite the government's and development partners' unmatched efforts to ensure that every eligible person receives vaccinations, there have been concerns about vaccine fear, government mistrust, vaccine hesitancy and rejection expressed by the public, as well as various conspiracy theories involving the COVID-19 vaccines. This study assessed the public beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines and related factors among residents of Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: Using a convenience sample technique, a cross-sectional survey of the adult population was carried out in the months of February and March of 2022. Factors influencing beliefs and willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines were found by using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Results: 306 out of 323 respondents completed the survey and were included in the final analysis. The respondents mean age was 28.16 ± 16.2 years. Although n = 223, 72.9% of respondents reported to have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, (n = 205) 67.0% believed COVID-19 vaccines to be effective. Among the individuals who had not yet had any COVID-19 vaccinations, 2.6% (n = 8) of respondents were willing to accept the vaccines, whereas 14.1% (n = 43) were unwilling. Respondents' beliefs about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines were influenced by their gender, occupation, religion and educational attainment (p < 0.005). Conclusion: The study revealed a good level of positive beliefs about the vaccine, which was mirrored in vaccination history. However, those who had not yet received the vaccine were unwilling to do so, opening the door for more aggressive risk communication to be able to alter the course of events. In addition to addressing additional COVID-19 vaccination myths, we advise policy-makers to develop communication strategies that emphasise the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is advised that all relevant stakeholders be included in government COVID-19 vaccination programmes by sharing timely, transparent information that fosters accountability